Back in 2001 Americans were told that the Taliban represented a threat to the freedom of not just Americans, but the Afghans themselves. Their brutal regime turned that country into a thugocracy, stripping the rights of both women and men alike, but most definitely women. So we went in and toppled the Taliban.

Yet here we are 10 years later, and though things are undoubtedly better, women still face prison time for adultery, even though they were raped. Such was the story of Gulnaz, an Afghan woman who was raped over two years ago, and produced a child from the act. She was originally given two years, which was then increased to 12, and then cut back down to three. The price for her “early” release? Marry her rapist.| MORE ›

Tonight President Barack Obama announced a plan for the withdrawal of the 33,000 “surge” troops he ordered to Afghanistan in 2009. 10,000 of the troops will be home by the end of this year, and 23,000 more will return by September of next year.| MORE ›

Glenn Beck is on a roll. He recently traveled to Israel where he made clear that he stands with the Jewish nation-state. It may be surrounded by enemies, and Obama may throw it under the bus, but Beck isn’t about to abandon Israel – the only true democracy in the Middle East, by the way.| MORE ›

As the news came in of the death of Bin Laden, print and television media around the world rushed to report the story, millions of people sent each other text messages as others took the news globally on Twitter — setting a new record for sustained use of the service — and in many cities, from New York to Boise, Idaho, to Athens, Georgia, people took to the streets in spontaneous celebration.| MORE ›

Is (cultural) imperialism a good thing… or a bad thing? Writing for the American Thinker Jeremy Egerer explains that, to him, it’s the wrong question. One should not ask whether (cultural) imperialism is in itself morally acceptable or not, but whether the imperializing force is ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

He writes:| MORE ›

The world is a wonderful place, but it can also be a dangerous one. In almost every corner of the globe militants of some political persuasion are plotting terror attacks — and these attacks can happen in London or New York, not just in Peshawar or Baghdad. Meanwhile, criminals operate wherever there are people, seeking to steal, rape, kidnap or kill.| MORE ›

I just finished listening to the South Carolina Republican debate again. Sorry, folks, I don’t have my favorite yet. Each one of them has problems that I need to consider, so no Herminating for me quite yet. However, where my top priority is concerned – namely, the economy – Cain, Paul, and Johnson have thus far piqued my interest greatly.| MORE ›

Ongoing upheaval in the Arab world and Middle East. Young people in Morocco, Syria, Yemen and Egypt are protesting against the rigid old powers. This clash between the young and the old is a classical one. 2400 years ago the Greek Playwright Sophocles wrote ‘Antigone’, about the stubborn King Creon who was challenged by his freethinking son and daughter in law.| MORE ›

I really don’t get the news that General David Petraeus will be appointed to head the CIA. As far as I’m aware, Petraeus doesn’t have extensive intelligence gathering experience. Then again, neither does Leon Panetta, the guy who he will replace.| MORE ›

I’m growing increasingly concerned about the war in Libya. Truth be told, there’s little doubt in my mind that it’s time for Colonel Khadaffi to go. He truly is, as Reagan once succinctly put it, a “mad dog.” He has supported terrorists in the past and will undoubtedly do so again – if allowed to. On the other hand, the ‘rebels’ don’t exactly seem secular and democratic.| MORE ›

And I’m only half joking:

President Hugo Chavez’s government has nationalized two coffee processors and is planning to purchase a majority stake in a third as it moves to assert greater control over Venezuela’s strictly regulated food sector…

It never ceases to amaze me that so many people refuse to learn from the past.| MORE ›